Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Paganism: Real Teen Witches

Dharmachari (for WQ)

Many are disaffected. Traditional "religion" has become nearly meaningless. There is, nevertheless, a rise in curiosity and spirituality -- a quest for Truth.

Some explore ancient paths such as Buddhism, others look to their roots for suppressed paths like Paganism. Others combine the two and playfully call themselves Pegaboos (see below). What is the West's pre-Christian tradition, and what is the attraction?

(BBC) It is not clear why Pagan-ism is so popular among young peo-ple in the UK while the Christian Church struggles to raise the num-bers of teenagers in the pews. But the youth-friendly image of Paganism may have something to do with it. There certainly aren't too many cool teenage Christians on TV.

PHOTOS: Paganism as modern ritual (wikipedia.org); pentagram art, Kelly Hampson (elfwood.com); group of teenage witches/Pagans in Oxfordshire, England, left to right: Julia, Candice, Paul, Emily, Sabrina, Catherine ©; "witchdoctor" in Gambia, Africa; tree shrine on Mt. Koya, Japan (openbuddha.com).

It's cool to be a Witch
Since the 1960s young people have become interested in magic and the spiritual world through popular books, television series, and films.

Teenage Pagans (3:04 mins) What Paganism means to them

Bewitched (1964-1972) showed one of the first representations of a Witch on television. Samantha was a quirky housewife with magical powers who was desperately trying to conform to the 1960s ideal and stop her "witchiness" leaking out.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a huge rise in the popularity of magic and Witchcraft as it began to flood the mainstream media. Witchcraft became much more acceptable and the characters portrayed were much stronger and more open about their practices.

A US television drama, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has probably been the most influential media representation of Witchcraft. One of the main characters, Willow, is an alternative to the sugary "Barbie"-type role model. She is a Witch who dabbles in lesbianism, dresses in sexy clothes, and casts spells.

Hollywood also picked up on the trend for the magical with films like The Witches of Eastwick (1987), The Craft (1996) and Practical Magic (1998). More>>

African "Witchcraft" Gone Wrong

Tanzania's albinos in fear

Twenty-five people with albinism have been murdered in Tanzania since March, a BBC investigation has found. Albinos are targeted for body parts that are used in witchcraft, and killings continue despite government efforts to stamp out the grisly practice. Karen Allen reports.

"Pegaboos"?

Dharmachari (WQ)

Pagabu (portmanteau: Pagan-Buddhist). Can Buddhists really be Pagans as well? Yes, it is quite possible. Wicca, Paganism, and Earth-based spiritual paths blend well. Fear arises because these peaceful traditions are now linked in the popular imagination with black magic.

That links it to Satanism (a largely Christian invention), vandalism, and a well ingrained anti-indigenous sentiment. These are the result of a centuries-old Church campaign to stamp out indigenous spirituality.

The nominal "Christianity" that usurped original spiritual practices was not an authentic representation. It bears little resemblance to its namesake's revolutionary wish to save people from the path of perdition (to an unfortunate rebirth) and oppressive Roman rule. But story is stronger than fact. And framed in this way, Paganism and teen witchcraft have an uphill public relations battle that is all but futile.

That, too, makes witchcraft attractive, particularly to modern teens. Who wants a tradition mummy and daddy think is safe, sanitary, and mundane...when there is an underdog position to champion?

Moreover, teens in particular are allergic to hypocrisy. For example, Ireland was once a Pagan stronghold communicating with fairies, serpents/dragons (nagas), and other nature spirits. Then the Church came. And St. Patrick drove the serpents off the emerald isle.

The real danger in witchcraft -- whether it's white magic, black magic, or mixed -- is that it is often rooted in unskillful states:

greed for money or power
hate of one's tormentors or rivals
delusion about self, ego, and the world

All of these are karmic issues. If witchcraft gives one an unfair advantage, or if it acts as an outlet for heartfully/mentally-defiled states (rooted in lust, anger, delusion), karma will bear bitter fruit.

Still some say, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." But it is better to remember that, "Whatever one does will come back upon one tenfold." So the only wise thing to do is what one would wish to experience. Then the Pagan message seems not so removed from the golden rule we find in so many paths and traditions. Buddhism is open and invites exploration, and there is no need to give up the tradition one was born into, so the same caveats apply. After all, a mind is like a parachute. It only works when it opens.

Secrets of frugal Millionaires

Secrets of frugal millionaires
Interviews with 70 millionaires reveal how they spend their money and keep more of it. Habits of the rich

The richest people in 10 big towns

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Burma: Suu Kyi trial nears end

Burmese nationals hold portraits of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Myanmar embassy in Phnom Penh, May 27, 2009. Activists demonstrated for her release (Reuters/Chor Sokunthea).

YANGON, Burma – Burma's military government said Thursday that its trial of Aung San Suu Kyi would have no political impact, though many have criticized the proceedings as a ploy to sideline the pro-democracy leader during elections scheduled for 2010.

Slideshow: Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi
New York Times Op-Ed (UN special rapporteur on human rights)

The highly popular Suu Kyi, whom the regime has sought to remove from the political arena through years of detention, is on trial for violating the terms of her house arrest after an American man swam to and sneaked into our lakeside home.

A Foreign Ministry statement, carried in state-owned newspapers, said the trial was strictly related to the rule of law and "will not have any political impact."

"The government, therefore, will hold multiparty general elections, fifth step of the Road Map, in 2010," the statement said, referring to the junta's "road map to democracy," which critics say will merely extend the military's decades-long rule under the guise of democracy.

The only witness the defense is allowed to call was scheduled to appear at Thursday's court session as the proceedings seemed to be nearing their end. More>>

Fact file on Aung San Suu Kyi, on trial in Burma. The trial was due to continue today as President Obama urged Burma to free the Nobel peace laureate and pro-democracy icon (AFP/Graphic).

Close-up look at black hole

Close-up look at black hole
This super-massive black hole devours the mass of two Earths every hour. Same weight as 1 billion suns

New Mars rover gets name

Catholic orders plead poverty in Irish abuse

Text by Shawn Pogatchnik (AP)

Photos: video pull of penitent Pope Benedict at Israel's Wailing Wall, 2009; below, penitent Catholics crucifying themselves in the Phillipines.

DUBLIN – The Catholic orders responsible for abusing Ireland's poorest children say they're struggling to come up with money to help their victims. Yet investigations into their net worth paint a very different picture — that of nuns and brothers with billions' worth of carefully sheltered assets worldwide.

Irish government leaders said Wednesday they expect the 18 religious orders involved in abusing children in workhouse-style schools to pay a much greater share of compensation to 14,000 state-recognized victims. They also demanded that the secretive orders reveal the true scope of their wealth for the first time in face-to-face negotiations with the government.

"We have to ascertain how much they actually have. The government is adamant and determined that they will make an appropriate contribution," Defense Minister Willie O'Dea said. More>>

Birds and Bees: wild forms of Sex

A look at sex in the wild: Birds do it, bees do it...

The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists' perception of our relation to the natural world, humanitarian concerns in general, and the relationship between Buddhist theory and practice.

Animals in Buddhism
Animals have always been regarded in Buddhist thought as sentient beings, different in their intellectual capacity but capable of suffering. In the popular beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism, animals possess Buddha nature and therefore possess the potential to become enlightened.

The doctrine of rebirth, moreover, holds that any human can be reborn as an animal, and any animal a human, albeit a much rarer occurrence. An animal might be the rebirth of a relative. And if one looks back far enough through innumerable past lives, one would eventually see that almost every living being was related to oneself in some way.

The Buddha taught that sentient beings currently living in the animal realm have been our mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers, children, and/or friends in past lives. Therefore, one can not make a definitive distinction between karmic laws applicable to animals and those applicable to humans. Ultimately, humans and animals are part of a single family of living beings where all are interconnected. Even their pleasure does not differ so much as we might imagine.

Monkey "prostitution" Male macaques groom females in exchange for sex, according to a study that examined the market underpinnings of macaque sex. According to the research, based on 20-months of observation in an Indonesian nature reserve, a female is three times more likely to mate with a male if he grooms her first. Supply and demand also comes into play: males spend more time grooming when competition for female attention is greater. Scientists refer to this practice as a biological market. (Shuji Kajiyama/AP)

Dolphin "foreplay" For playful dolphins, mating seems just like another carefree and pleasurable way to pass away the day. Along with some typical male posturing for access to females, there's plenty of chasing, rubbing, nuzzling, and stroking all of which constitutes foreplay. The belly-to-belly copulation act itself lasts less than a minute, but is often repeated several times over the course of an hour. (NOAA)

Panda "porn" Captive pandas require pornography to help them get in the mood. In the wild, biologists say pandas mate without much of a hitch. But since the wild population in China's mountain forests hovers around just 1,600 individuals, there's a push to boost the panda population in zoos around the world. And that's where the problems lie. Many pandas lack interest in their arranged mates. And some inexperienced males who give it the old college try fail to engage the appropriate body part. As an aid, some zoo keepers attempt to arouse the bears and teach them proper technique with specially made DVDs: a.k.a. "panda porn." When that fails – and it often does – artificial insemination is considered a last resort. These tricks combined with a better understanding of what makes the panda libido tick are beginning to pay off. The captive population has boomed in recent years. (Wichai Taprieu/AP file)

"Hot" plant sex Plant sex has ancient roots. The males in a group of plants called cycads, which have been around for at least 250 million years, get all hot and bothered as a means to compel pollen-covered insects deep in their cones to fly forth and find a female to pollinate, according to scientists. The plants begin the process by emitting a fragrance that lures little insects called thrips into their cones. After a few hours of the thrips feasting and rolling around in there, the cycads heat up as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit, which turns their sweet smelling fragrance into a stench. The thrips flee, some landing on benign-smelling female cycads and thus completing the pollination cycle. (Irene Terry / Univ. of Utah) More on sex>>

In Buddhist cosmology, animals are believed to inhabit a distinct "world," separate from humans not in space but in terms of mental states. That world is called Tiryagyoni in Sanskrit (Tiracchānayoni in Pāli).

Rebirth as an animal is considered an unfortunate rebirth, usually involving more suffering than pleasure relative to the human world. Buddhist commentarial texts point out many instances of suffering associated with the animal world:

Even where no humans are present, animals are attacked and eaten by other animals.
Or they live in fear of such things.
They endure extreme changes of environment throughout the year.
They have no security of habitation.
Animals living among humans are often slaughtered for their bodies.
Or they are taken and forced to work and beaten.
Beyond this, they suffer from ignorance, not knowing or understanding what or why this is happening to them with any clarity.
They are unable to do very much about it, acting instead primarily on instinct.
More on animals>>

Rising sea levels in Northeast U.S.

Randolph E. Schmid (AP)

An iceberg in Ilulissat fjord, Greenland 8/16/07, visited by Germany's chancellor and environment minister (Reuters/Michael Kappeler/Pool).

WASHINGTON – Drip, drip, drip come the studies one after another, reinforcing the threat to the Northeast from rising sea levels along the U.S. and Canadian east coast.

VIDEO: Antarctica Warming (Assignment Earth)

If Greenland's ice melts at moderate to high rates, ocean circulation by 2100 could shift and cause sea levels off the Northeast coast of North America to rise by about 12 to 20 inches more than other coastal areas, researchers report Wednesday in Geophysical Research Letters. "Major northeastern cities are directly in the path of the greatest rise," researcher Aixue Hu of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said. More>>

Kashmir: protester death sparks fresh clashes

Kashmiri protester throws a piece of brick towards an Indian policeman during a protest in Srinagar, 5/27/09 (Reuters/Fayaz Kabli).

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – At least 25 people were injured in Kashmir's main city on Wednesday when hundreds of stone throwing residents, angered over a young protester's death, clashed with Indian troops, police and witnesses said.

Police fired scores of teargas shells to disperse protesters who took to streets for a second day on Wednesday in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, to protest the death of a 20-year-old student.

The student was hit on the head by a teargas shell fired by police last week during a protest against Indian rule in the disputed region. He died on Tuesday.

Last week's protest rally was the biggest this year in Kashmir which was hit by massive anti-India demonstrations last year.

A police official, Abdul Qayum, said the injured included eight security force personnel. "The clashes continue," he said.

Tens of thousands have been killed in the disputed Himalayan region since a revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989.

But overall violence has fallen significantly across Kashmir since India and Pakistan began peace talks in 2004, although New Delhi has imposed a "pause" in that dialogue after the Mumbai attack in November. Source

Cyclone Aila hits East Coast of India

Manik Banerjee (AP)

Graphic shows the path of Cyclone Aila. Bangladesh and India have launched major relief operations after the storm tore into the northern coast of the Bay of Bengal, killing at least 126 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless (AFP).

WQ EDITORIAL: Often left unmentioned in coverage of "natural" disasters is the social-psychological dimension. These disasters are, in fact, man made. It would not be regarded a "disaster" if a storm or quake or fire hit an empty field. People make it what it is, and they are there for social, psychological, and political reasons. For instance, poverty leads the poor to build on ground that annually is hit by devastating climactic events. The more affluent hoard food or impede equitable distribution of resources. The greatest cause of disease is not a pathogen; it is malnourishment. That is not the same as starvation. The population eats but there is insufficient nutrition to fight off disease. Water becomes contaminated. In the absence of fuel, populations deforest their environment then suffer the predictable consequence when the rains come. This happens all over the world. And we cover it not so the West will feel pity and send monetary help but so that something will be done on a systemic level. The problem is not cured by care packages. The solution exists within the social dimension. Only if we become aware of the real cause of human disasters -- political destabilization by Western powers, greed of military juntas, fear and hoarding, and so on -- can something finally be done about it. Cyclone Aila affected a region of Bangladesh where Barua Buddhists reside as they have for millenia, Chittagong. Meanwhile, the tiny Bangladesh Buddhist community in the United States celebrated Vesak this weekend far from the "disaster."

CALCUTTA, India – Heavy rains caused deadly mudslides and slowed rescue efforts Wednesday after Cyclone Aila pounded eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least 191 people.

PLAY VIDEO: Cyclone Aila

The cyclone destroyed thousands of homes and stranded millions of people in flooded villages before it began to ease Tuesday. The death toll will likely rise in both countries as rescue workers reach cut-off areas.

Mudslides in India's famed Darjeeling tea district killed at least 22 people overnight, said Asim Dasgupta, the finance minister of the worst-affected West Bengal state in India.

The official death toll in India stood at 78 by Wednesday, Dasgupta told reporters, adding about 2.3 million people were affected or stranded in flooded villages.

Bangladesh's Food and Disaster Management Ministry said the toll there was 113 after more bodies were found. Most victims drowned or were washed away when storm surges hit coastal areas.

Soldiers have been deployed to take food, water and medicine to hundreds of thousands of people stranded in flooded villages, Bangladeshi Minister Abdur Razzak told reporters Wednesday. In India rescuers evacuated more than 41,000 people by Wednesday, Dasgupta said.

At least 500,000 villagers were affected or stranded, mostly by flash floods caused by tidal surges, said Ziaul Alam, the local administrator in Bangladesh's Khulna district.

The cyclone also caused damage in the Sundarbans, a tangle of mangrove forests that is home to one of the world's largest tiger populations.

Conservationists expressed concern over the tigers' fate.

At least one tiger from the flooded reserve took refuge in a house. Forest guards tranquilized it and were planning to release it once the waters subside, said Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, which assisted in the operation.

It is believed about 250 tigers live on the Indian side of the Sundarbans and another 250 live on the Bangladeshi side.

Conservationists in India said water levels were too high for ecologists and forest officials to enter the area and assess the extent of the damage.

N.C. Bahuguna, a senior Indian conservation official, said water sources were likely contaminated by salt water from the sea.

Abani Bhushan Thakur, a local forest department official in Bangladesh, said there were no reports of damage or casualties in their part of the Sundarbans mangrove forests. Source
___
Associated Press writer Farid Hossain contributed to this story.

Gay Marriage? Third-Sex Acceptance?

Tearful Drew Barrymore and actor fight for gay rights

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California's supreme court backed a ban on gay marriage on Tuesday, upholding a voter-approved proposition defining marriage as between a man and a woman, but said the marriages last year of 18,000 same-sex couples were still legal.

The court, which last year unexpectedly opened the door to same-sex unions in the most populous U.S. state, bowed to the majority of California voters who passed the ban known as Proposition 8 last November. The argument continued in San Francisco streets, where gay marriage backers vowed to continue the fight at the ballot box in 2010. More>>

Gay issues on Wisdom Quarterly

Thailand's "Third Sex" Wants Acceptance, Legal Support
Daniel Schearf (VOA, ‎May 25, 2009)‎

In Thailand, transgender males, also called lady-boys, are a common sight in cities and tourist areas. While many transgenders work in traditionally female professions such as in cabaret shows or Thailand's notorious sex industry, most are looking for better integration in Thai society. But despite their high visibility, transgenders still face challenges in seeking acceptance. At a popular beauty contest this month in southern Thailand... More>>

PHOTO: Miss Tiffany 2009 winner Sorrawee Nattee (R) and second-placed Writtorn Narapaipimol (L) after 2009 Miss Tiffany transgender contest in Pattaya, Thailand, May 15, 2009.

Job Crisis: Resumes get dumber

Resumés are getting dumber
In a tight job market, more candidates are hiding advanced degrees and years of experience. Smart idea?

Five must-haves for every resumé

Thai Protesters Form Political Party

James Hookway (Wall Street Journal, ‎May 25, 2009)

PATHUM THANI, Thailand -- Members of Thailand's yellow-shirt protest movement voted to form a political party: Thai Protest Group Votes to Form a Political Party

Protesters to form political party in Thailand The Epoch Times
Thai "yellow shirts" agree to form political party Reuters
Thai protest group to form a political party eTaiwan News

Sri Lanka: post war turmoil

Sri Lanka army kills 11 Tamil rebels in east
COLOMBO (AP) – The Sri Lankan military says it has killed 11 suspected Tamil rebels in the eastern jungles, in the biggest clash since declaring victory against the insurgents last week. The army said the soldiers recovered assault rifles, 20 Claymore mines, and a handful of grenades and anti-personnel mines along with the bodies of 11 men near the southeastern town of Ampara. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the troops were on a mission Wednesday to flush out the remnants of the Tamil Tigers in the eastern jungles when they attacked a group of rebels. He said the soldiers suffered no casualties. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.

Sri Lanka urged at U.N. to ensure Tamils get aid

Sri Lankan Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe during a UN Human Rights Council special session on Sri Lanka in Geneva on May 26. Sri Lanka said Wednesday it was confident of averting an international probe into alleged war crimes committed during its blistering offensive against the Tamil Tigers (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini).

GENEVA (Reuters) – Sri Lanka must ensure nearly 300,000 people who fled their homes in the final throes of its civil war receive the aid they need, the United States and other governments said on Wednesday.

At a special session of the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, dozens of countries also called for Colombo to give its minority Tamils and Muslims a political voice to ensure lasting peace in a country where Sinhalese are an ethnic majority.

Sri Lanka's minister of disaster management and rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, told the Geneva forum his government recognized the need to help those displaced in its drive to crush Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) separatists.

"It is our duty to give them not only minimal standards but decent standards," he said, thanking Sri Lanka's allies China and India for their donations of tents and other supplies.

He dismissed concerns raised by the Red Cross and other aid groups who have been kept out of camps like Manik Farm, which holds about 210,000 people uprooted by the war. More>>

American says "God" told him to warn Suu Kyi

Hla Hla Htay

Burmese citizens living in Japan hold portraits of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally in Tokyo (AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi).

YANGON (AFP) – A US man told the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi Wednesday that he swam to the Burmese democracy icon's home to warn her of a divine vision about a "terrorist" plot to assassinate her, her party said.

John Yettaw took the stand for the first time in the case against the Nobel Laureate, who faces up to five years in jail on charges of breaching her house arrest, stemming from the American's bizarre visit this month.

Slideshow: Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi

The 53-year-old said he came to Burma from his home in Missouri because he had a dream that terrorists would try to pin the blame for killing her on the military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi's party spokesman Nyan Win told reporters.

"Yettaw said he came here because God asked him to," said Nyan Win, who is also on her legal team and was in court Wednesday for the closed hearing at the notorious Insein Prison in Yangon.

"He said the reason he came was in his vision he saw that Aung San Suu Kyi was assassinated by terrorists. Because of his vision, he came here to warn Aung San Suu Kyi and also the government," Nyan Win said.

"In his vision, the terrorists assassinated Aung San Suu Kyi and then they put the blame for the assassination on the government, so that's why he came here to warn both of them," he said.

Nyan Win said judges questioned Yettaw for three hours, during which the devout Mormon and former US army veteran repeatedly said he had divine inspiration for his night-time swim on May 4. More>>

Darwin's descendent in Oxford dispute

Great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, Ruth Padel, is Oxford's first female Professor of Poetry since the post was created 300 years ago. She spoke at a press conference in Wales on 5/26/09, where she explained her resignation, acknowledging she publicized charges her rival for the post sexually harassed a former student (AP/Ben Birchall/PA Wire).

LONDON — A fight over who gets to be Oxford University's top poet has set Britain's pens racing — and weakened the careers of two well-known wordsmiths. More>>

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Toxic Personality Types

Buddhist Personality Types

The Path of Purification -- a voluminous tome on Buddhist meditation and psychology -- contains a section on personality types. There are three one regularly finds in the world: those rooted in greed, hatred, and/or delusion. Positive corollaries exist as well (rooted in nongreed, nonhatred, and/or nondelusion). The most common is a mixed-type. What kind are you?

8 toxic personality types
Learn how to spot the types of people who can rob you of your happiness. What they have in common

How to be a better friend

• U.S. forces prepared to stay in Iraq 10 years, Army chief says

• Key nations start talks on new NKorea resolution

• Sri Lanka's displaced families torn apart by war

52 Ways to Save the World

WASHINGTON, May 26 (OneWorld.net) – Prevented from attending school due to ongoing violence in northwest Pakistan, 11-year-old Malalay speaks out about peace and her right to an education.

What's the Story? "I represent Swat, the Switzerland of the East, which, was once so beautiful, so peaceful and so full of life has now become a valley of violence, bloodshed, and denial of respect for humanity and values," said Malalay, speaking on behalf of her classmates at a peace conference organized by the international poverty alleviation group ActionAid and its local partner Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development.

"O' the protector of human rights and justice, Come out! Stand by us! Give my books back! Give my pen back!" reads a poem Malalay wrote and used to address local elders.

Due to recent violence in northwest Pakistan, including Malalay's native Swat valley, hundreds of schools have been burned down. In addition, millions of people have been forced to flee the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and Pakistani military. Together, these factors are "causing girls to lose their right to an education," says ActionAid. (See the organization's full statement below). More>>

Video: Battle for Swat (Reuters)
Video: Pakistan army fights for key city (BBC)
Video: Battle in Swat Valley (ABC News)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

100% Missing Link; 50% California; 1% Sufis

Two wild ideas excite Web
A proposal to split up California and Ida the "missing link" are online sensations. What else this week?

Mystics in sights of Taliban PESHAWAR — Sufi worshippers still flock to the grave of Rahman Baba, a Muslim mystic revered by millions in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But they now pray at a mound of rubble and twisted steel — all that remains of his tomb since militants bombed it. More>>

VIDEO: China "could face banking crisis" (BBC)

Meditation: Kind to the Monkey Mind

Dharma talk by Ajahn Brahm (BSWA, Australia) on Buddhist meditation to deal with the "Monkey Mind" -- a common experience for those who attempt to sit in peace and serenity. The mind that attempts to de-stress, paradoxically, jumps from one thought and idea to another without rest like a monkey in a tree.

The Monkey Mind can be overcome through the patient practice of meditation, the cultivation of patience, the practice of practicing being kind to the body, being kind to the mind. This is the practice of ahimsa (non-violence, non-injury, harmlessness, kindness),which is not limited to others but practiced foremost with oneself. As one is kind to oneself, one becomes effortlessly kind to others. One advances in meditation.

These are selections from a talk given on a 2007 Easter retreat focusing on joy and happiness as being the path of meditation and spiritual growth. For as it is said by successful meditators: "There is NO way to happiness, happiness is the WAY."

Organic Gardening: How to Water

Learn how to water your organic vegetable garden in this free online video guide to edible gardening. Expert: Scott Reil (safelawns.org) is an accredited nurseryman and horticulturalist with over two decades of experience in the field. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso.

Scientists find the Missing Link

A team of researchers unveiled an almost perfectly intact fossil of a 47 million-year-old primate they say represents the long-sought "missing link" between humans and apes. Officially known as Darwinius masillae, the fossil of the lemur-like creature dubbed "Ida" shows it had opposable thumbs like humans and fingernails instead of claws.

A team of amateur fossil hunters discovered the near-perfect remains inside a mile-wide crater outside of Frankfurt in 1983. Experts believe the pit was a volcanic caldera where scores of animals from the Eocene epoch died by breathing noxious volcanic fumes that kept their remains remarkably well-preserved.

Though the pit has been a bountiful source of other fossils, the inexperienced archaeologists did not realize the value of their find. Years later, the University of Oslo bought the 95%-intact fossil, and Hurum studied it in secret for two years. "We're not dealing with our grand, grand, grandmother, but perhaps with our grand, grand, grand aunt," Jens Franzen said.

The unveiling of the Ida fossil came as part of a carefully-orchestrated publicity campaign unusual for scientific discoveries.